Nell and Eric: Language of Flowers
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Some people have forgotten it, but slowly, it's being re-discovered. Drabbles about how the relationship of two people can blossom with the appearance of a flower. Nelric. Rated K plus. COMPLETED!
1. Lilac

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! I'm actually surprised I'm the only one doing something like this...**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Lilac ~*~<strong>

It appeared one Monday morning, lying across her keyboard with a white satin ribbon tied around the stem. Nell's jaw dropped in shock when she saw the flower. _It's so beautiful - and I didn't order one. Who sent it to me?_

Her investigative skills firing up, Nell picked up the lilac and looked around for a notecard. Her surprise only doubled when she saw a small one bearing only four words, and no signature. _For my first love._

_A secret admirer? _she wondered. A shy, excited smile uncurled on her lips. _How strange. Something new. _

She inhaled deeply and smelled the lilac's scent, an instant wake-up call for her senses. Heading downstairs, Nell snagged one of Hetty's glass vases (careful not to confuse it with her priceless cut crystal ones) and put the purple flower cluster in water. All the while, the little smile on her face wouldn't waver or disappear. No one had sent her flowers in such a long time (she didn't count that time she'd sent them to herself) that having one delivered in such a secretive way was sort of refreshingly intriguing.

_But who sent it? _Ah, the million-dollar question. It had to be someone in NCIS OSP, because nobody else came into the building. That narrowed her suspect pool down considerably, but now she had to wonder which of the hundred-odd men would send her flowers.

A challenge that she found herself eager to accept.

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><p><strong>You want more? I think you might!<strong>

**Review and tell me how you like it!**


	2. Chrysanthemum

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Chrysanthemum ~*~<strong>

Puzzles intrigued Nell. No question about that.

But this was one puzzle that, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out.

The mangled intelligence report sat on her screen, letters pulsing slightly as if mocking her ability to figure out what they mean. Leaning forward so that her nose almost brushed the screen, Nell squinted at the letters. "I know you're trying to tell me something," she whispered. "I know it."

"Talking to the intelligence, Nell?"

She gave a little start at the sound of her partner's voice. "Eric. Where you been?"

"Running an errand for Hetty. Whatcha doing?"

An accusatory finger was leveled at her computer. "Stupid report was corrupted by a virus, so I'm trying to recreate it before Hetty asks for it."

"Ouch. Want any help?" Eric offered, sliding into his seat beside her.

Nell gave a bright smile. "Nope. I'll be fine. I've got success on my side."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? How's that?"

She pointed again, but now she was indicating the yellow chrysanthemum occupying the little vase she'd bought for such additions to her workplace. "I got that this morning. No name, just a card that read "From your secret admirer" on a pink ribbon." Her cheeks flushed, recalling how pleased she'd been to see that the lilac from a few weeks before hadn't just been a one-time thing.

"Wow, that's...nice," Eric said, his smile never wavering an inch.

"Isn't it?" Still high from her happiness, Nell turned back to her work with renewed vigor, eyes flickering to the yellow blossom from time to time with a smile.

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	3. Gardenia

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Gardenia ~*~<strong>

If ever she needed a flower, today would be that day.

Nell slumped in her car, trying to motivate herself to getting out and into the Mission. Heaving a heavy sigh, she finally mustered the energy and went in to start her day.

It was just as bad as she'd thought. People were running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, Hetty was swearing castration to several heads of agencies in different countries, and everyone was trying to figure out how an entire team of deep cover NCIs agents had been found out and blown up with stolen C4. All hands had been called in, and nobody had time to even breathe.

In the midst of it all, there she stood. A lone Intelligence Analyst.

_Some birthday this will turn out to be,_ she thought, now completely depressed. Nell plodded up the steps with trepidation, bracing for the first of a very long slew of days with little chance for rest.

But when her eyes alighted on the gardenia sitting in her special vase, a card dangling from the red ribbon tied to its stem, she dared to smile. She picked up the little card and flipped it open. The words inside made her smile tremble as it touched her heart.

_To show my joy that today was when you were born._

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	4. Jasmine

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Jasmine ~*~<strong>

Nell's steps were just a little shy of a skip when she headed past the bullpen with an armful of files, destination Hetty's office. Deeks watched her go by with interest in his expression. "Someone's having a good morning," he remarked. "What's put the pep in her step?"

"She got another flower," said Callen, not looking up from his paperwork. "Been getting them for the last month from some secret admirer."

"Really?"

Kensi spoke up next. "Always with a note attached. I think today's was like, _For my elegant, graceful girl_ or something."

Deeks's eyebrow rose. "Nice. Little Nell's getting some attention."

"Bout time Eric got some game on," said Sam from his meditative pose.

Deeks glanced up at the railing outside Ops and saw Eric standing there. "Um...guys?"

Everyone looked up. They saw the blond tech standing at the railing, poised as if getting ready to whistle the team up, but his hands were clenched on the railing. Blue eyes were locked onto Nell - or, more specifically, on the white blossom that was worked into the barrette that held back a part of her bangs. His face bore a combination of angry, confused, and somewhat...jealous?

"Ooooh," Kensi breathed, realization hitting home.

Callen whistled softly. "So it's not Eric."

Deeks's frown returned. "Wait, so who's sending Nell flowers?"

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><p><strong>OH! Didn't see that coming, didja?<strong>

**Review please!**


	5. Orchid

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Orchid ~*~<strong>

At first, it seemed harmless. Cute, enough. And most importantly, she was happy.

But it was fast becoming a somewhat irritating niggle in the back of his neck.

Eric shot a glare at the beautiful white orchid sitting primly in the glass vase beside Nell's computer. Some part of him realized that the gesture was ridiculous - why should he be jealous of a damn flower? - but the other part of his brain just wanted to stew in his annoyance.

He'd shown up early just to see if he could figure out who was sending Nell flowers. But the orchid was already in the vase when he entered Ops, that damn tiny card hanging off a purple ribbon like a lure for the red-haired fish who came to bite every time it showed up.

Eric had already read it. Screw privacy, he'd thought, this was his partner. He had to know. Now he wished he hadn't.

_A delicate beauty for my beautiful love_.

On the one hand, he wanted to gag at the sappiness.

But on the other hand, when he saw Nell's expression when she read and smiled upon reading the same sentiment, he wanted to freeze time and let her smile stay that way forever. Even if he had no hand in putting it on her face.

But what Eric wanted to do most of all was just crawl under a rock and hate the SOB who managed to take the one thing he hadn't been able to grab first.

Nell's heart.

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><p><strong>Jealous!Eric, your party is calling. <strong>

**Review please!**


	6. Bellflower

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Bellflower ~*~<strong>

Two months after the first flower had shown up, and Nell was practically giddy while going about her business.

The flowers had become somewhat tamer, a series of bellflower blossoms that each bore a card saying '_Thinking of you_'. But Nell wasn't complaining. Each one she recieved went home to join the growing bouquet she had of the flowers that she had so far. Each day, without fail, a new one came to replace the oldest in the bunch.

Everyone in NCIS OSP was intrigued that one among them had decided to be Nell's secret admirer, and more than half tried to figure out who it was. But the downside to working with professional undercover specialists is that every one of them was a supremely gifted liar. His secret would stay safe.

But if people cared to notice, the happier Nell grew, the more subdued Eric seemed to become. If people chose to look, they'd see his smiles were a little more forced, a tad more brittle than normal. If anyone wished to see, they'd know that he was hiding something behind the smile he always gave Nell when she chattered about the identity of her secret admirer.

His performance never lacked. No, for if it had, Hetty would have drawn attention to it. So Eric took every precaution to do his work just as well as before. Better, even, just to make it seem like nothing had ever changed.

But Callen, Sam, Kensi, and Deeks could tell that his heart wasn't in it.

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><p><strong>Awww, poor Eric!<strong>

**Review please!**


	7. Aster

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Aster ~*~<strong>

Not one to complain, Nell was about ready to snap a pen in half.

Three and a half months later, and she was no closer to figuring out who her secret admirer was than she'd been that first day. She'd thought of everything, tracing the purchased flowers through all the fower shops and stalls in Los Angeles, the ribbons, even the cardstock, but nothing panned out. She just kept hitting dead ends. It was incredibly frustrating.

So when an aster flower appeared in her vase, she was about to grit her teeth in impatience. But all that melted away when she read the note inside the card.

_Patience, love. We'll meet soon, I promise_.

She didn't have another freak-out for the rest of the week.

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><p><strong>People wonder who the mystery man is. Well...<strong>

**Review please!**


	8. Sunflower

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Sunflower ~*~<strong>

It was on a rare rainy day in Los Angeles that Nell walked into NCIS looking like a drowned rat, her hair plastered to her skull as she shed her dripping raincoat with a disgusted look. The look faded, however, when she saw the sunflower resting in her vase with yet another card hanging from the ribbon tied to its stem.

_No rainclouds can mask the sun that shines in your eyes and smile_.

The sweet, slightly cheesy message brought a fond smile to Nell's face as she smelled the beautiful flower.

"So, another one?"

The uncharacteristically surly voice from her partner made Nell frown in confusion. "Um, are you all right Eric?"

"Yeah, never better," he mumbled, turning away from her pointedly and starting on his work.

Green eyes kept fixed on him. "Seriously, you've been acting weird for a while now. What is it?"

"It's - "

"And don't you dare say it's nothing, Eric Beale, because it's not," Nell cut him off. "Now tell me the truth. What's bothering you?"

He turned to look at her, and Nell couldn't believe the hard look in his crystal blue eyes. "You're sending yourself flowers again."

She was so angry at the suggestion that couldn't help it. She punched him in the shoulder. "I am not!" she denied. "I have no idea who is sending them to me!"

"And yet you're still accepting them."

"Why shouldn't I?"

Now he started to raise his voice. "You don't know who they're from, Nell!"

"What, now I can't have a secret admirer?" Nell demanded to know. "Why do you care?"

His jaw snapped shut, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. "I'm looking out for you," he ground out.

Nell scoffed. "Oh please! You're just jealous!"

He paused in shock before saying, "I am not!"

"Of course you are! You're getting competitive because I'm getting real flowers from somebody, not filching them off of Hetty's flowers!"

"That's not what this is about, Nell! This could be a bad idea!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you!" she snapped back at him. Picking up the vase, she shot him a glare worthy of Hetty's scariest look and stomped out, determined to get fresh water for her newest bloom, leaving Eric to stew in his own anger.

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><p><strong>Ouch! Fight. Burn.<strong>

**Review please!**


	9. Snowdrop

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Snowdrop ~*~<strong>

Kensi spoke with the finality of a judge. "She's going to kill him."

"In cold blood," Callen agreed.

"Maybe with Hetty's letter opener," Deeks added.

It had been two weeks since Eric and Nell's argument in Ops. Two weeks, and they were nowhere near close to patching up between them. The atmosphere had become so toxic that Hetty had regulated Nell back to being her office gofer just to keep the redheaded Intelligence Analyst from strangling the blonde Tech Operator.

But he'd done it now. He'd done something that almost assured his early death in a shallow grave.

He'd thrown Nell's admirer's flower du jour in the incinerator, card and all. They'd seen him toting the standard bellflower down the stairs and into the stairwell towards the incinerator, then return empty-handed.

"Think she'll notice?" asked Deeks.

The scream of "ERIC, YOU BASTARD!" they heard twelve seconds later answered that question.

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><p>Nell was just about to leave for the day when she spotted something lying next to her keyboard. It was a tiny white flower, delicate as a spiderweb, and most definitely had not been there all day.<p>

A snowdrop flower.

Lying next to it was a note scrawled on a piece of torn paper. Nell picked it up and read what was written.

_I'm sorry. About everything. Please forgive me. Eric_

It wasn't a secret, or even a special-looking flower; it looked like he'd just gone out and pulled it from a flowerbed in the park.

But the fact that he tried made Nell's heart break.

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><p><strong>Ouch! Burn. Literally. But then a little bit of making up!<strong>

**Review please!**


	10. Anemone

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Anemone ~*~<strong>

Four and a half months.

That's how long it had been since that very first lilac had shown up on her keyboard.

Nell had been bouncing like a trapped rubber ball ever since this latest flower's arrival. Nobody could really figure out why. For those who knew flowers, it just looked to be a purple anemone, albiet a very striking purple anemone.

It was Kensi who finally decided to figure out what the deal was. She headed up to Ops and stayed there for maybe fifteen minutes. When she came back, the brunette was almost as giddy as Nell had been.

Nell's mystery man had asked her out!

Needless to say, the boys were more than curious about it. Kensi told them how the anemone's card had read _If you're game, I'll be at Halstrad's Pub at seven PM. Wear this flower so I can find you, and I'll have a matching one_.

Callen and Sam smiled at the thought of Nell's love life taking off, while Kensi giggled like a schoolgirl at the prospect. Only Deeks was noticeably silent as he slipped back upstairs into Ops to ask his own questions.

"Hey Red," he said to the small woman. "You sure about this?"

Nell's smile turned into an annoyed scowl. "You sound like Eric," she accused. "You going to tell me this is a bad idea too?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. Just wondering what you're expecting."

"I'm just expecting to meet this guy, maybe have a real date for once," Nell stated, clear and concise as one of her intelligence reports.

Her answer apparently calmed Deeks, because his only response was, "All right. Just let us know how it goes, okay?"

Her smile was blinding with excited anticipation. "Of course."

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><p><strong>Will we learn the identity of the mystery man? I think so! - maybe.<strong>

**Review please!**


	11. Carnation

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Carnation ~*~<strong>

She didn't come in the next morning.

Eric watched the clock like it had challenged him to a staring match. Waiting was something he was accustomed to, but this was ridiculous.

After Deeks had come down and reassured everyone that yes, Nell knew what she was doing and yes, her expectations were normal, Eric couldn't shake the feeling that he was being left out of something.

He was happy for Nell, he really was. But jealousy was a hard bug to squash. Especially when he didn't know the guy who'd managed to charm his partner into a first date without even trading a name or phone number.

Just a series of damn flowers and sappy sentiments, and she was willing to meet him on a blind date.

Eric rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache as he finally looked away from the clock. It was nearing noon, and if Nell wasn't in by now, she wouldn't be in at all. _I hope she at least liked her date, _he thought, pushing his glasses up and getting back to work.

He glanced at the wine-red carnation flower he'd put in her vase earlier and thought for the thousandth time, _Damn, I hope she likes it_.

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><p><strong>Sweet Eric, waiting for Nell to return...and she plays hookey. Bad girl.<strong>

**Review please!**


	12. Carnation II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Carnation II ~*~<strong>

For the first time in a very long time, Nell found herself very confused and very hurt.

She's shown up at Halstrad's Pub at seven, wearing her anemone blossom as a pin like Hetty did. She'd sat and waited for almost three hours, nursing a glass of beer and keeping her eyes peeled for a man wearing a matching flower.

But nobody came up, and nobody left a message for her.

It had been a long time since she'd been stood up, but it hurt just as badly as it had before. Twinges of it still stung as she headed into work the day after her date, dejected and adamantly praying that nobody bothered her about calling in sick the day before.

Thankfully, nobody did. But something was noticeably different in Ops. Actually, two things.

One, Eric wasn't in yet. Looking closer, Nell saw a note about him going out to get coffee and breakfast.

Two, there was a flower in the vase by her workstation. A carnation, its petals red as fine wine.

She almost chucked it out of spite. But then she noticed that it didn't have a note, and that it wasn't quite as fresh as the others had been. This one looked like it had been sitting there for almost two days, if the wilted petals were any indication.

It couldn't be from her secret admirer. Carnations didn't seem to be his style.

If she had to guess, it seemed more like somebody who knew she didn't like ostentatious flowers. Someone who knew her favorite color was wine red. Someone who knew her as well as Eric did...

_Wait...Eric?_

She looked at the flower, then at the empty desk beside hers, then back. A small smile tilted the corners of her mouth upwards as gratitude touched her heart.

_Aww, Eric_.

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><p><strong>Yay, a part 2! This is really fun, keeping people in suspense about Mystery Man's identity...<strong>

**Review please!**


	13. Peony

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Peony ~*~<strong>

Neither tech remarked on Eric's apology. In fact, business continued much like it had before. Except for one key difference.

Nell never kept the flowers that appeared daily. No longer bellflowers, but a fresh peony that had a card that ready _I'm sorry. Forgive me? _But each one was tossed unceremoniously into the trashcan when Nell arrived.

The first time she disregarded the flower, Eric thought she did it out of spite. But when it began to show as a permanant thing, he didn't bother to hide his surprise. "Nell? What gives?"

"He had his chance," she said in a clipped tone. "He blew it. End of story."

Each time Eric asked (only once every other week) her answer remained the same. Apparently Nell was done with Mystery Man.

She didn't like being disappointed, and she sure didn't like setting herself up for a repeat performance.

After about three weeks, the peonies stopped coming.

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><p><strong>Go Nell! But this isn't the end of the fic quite yet...<strong>

**Review please!**


	14. Hydrangea

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Hydrangea ~*~<strong>

Nell headed down the steps from Ops after a long day in front of a computer screen. Her eyes were feeling sore and her back hurt from slouching, but she was still riding the adrenaline of the op.

"Hey Nell! Wait up!"

She halted on the landing and looked up to see Eric heading down after her. "What's up Eric?" she asked.

"Wanna grab dinner and a drink?" he asked when he caught up with her. "My treat."

Never one to pass up free food and booze, Nell flashed him a bright smile. "Sure. I just have to burn some stuff."

"I'll wait for you."

After doing her jobs in the incinerator room, the redhead met up with her partner in the parking lot. They headed for a little place where Eric was obviously well-known, judging from how the bartender and waitresses said hello when he came in.

For the first time in a long time, Nell found herself enjoying a date. Eric was sweet and polite, and not obnoxiously trying to impress her. He was just being a very good friend, and she really needed that right now. Her previous attempt into the dating realm was still fresh and raw in her mind, and this was working to soothe it.

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><p>Eric thought it went rather well. One desperately casual question managed to turn into a really great date. So he'd brought it to a field he was comfortable in; it helped to hide how nervous he was about asking her out. He knew Nell was still smarting from being stood up by her mystery man, and he wanted to help her forget about it.<p>

If her smile at the end was any indication, he had succeeded.

They parted in the parking lot with twin smiles and a hug (which Eric had wanted to be a kiss, but chickened out) and Eric headed back towards his car. He still had a goofy half-grin still on his face as he started thinking about how to play it so this might happen again.

No sooner did his key start to turn in the lock that he heard Nell's horrified scream. "Eric!"

Eric bolted towards where he had seen her park her red car. Nell was pressed against the wall, her arms curled up protectively in front of her chest, her hands covering her mouth. He didn't see anyone near where she was standing, but he ran over to her side. "Nell, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

She pointed to her car. On the windshield was a bright blue flower - a hydrangea, if Eric recalled correctly. Tied to it was a note on familiar cardstock.

_How can you be so cold and heartless?_

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><p><strong>Dun dun DUN!<strong>

**Review please!**


	15. Lavender

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Lavender ~*~<strong>

Per her express request, Eric didn't tell anyone about the freaky appearance of the hydrangea on Nell's car. He did, however, spend the next three days running through the cameras all around the restaurant to see if anyone even sneezed in the direction of Nell's car during their time at dinner.

The look on her face...it was like nothing he'd ever seen on her before. Nell wasn't scared. She was his tough partner who very rarely showed fear or pain. Seeing her that horrified because of a guy - Eric never wanted to know who her mystery man was more than right now.

But in a rare moment of failure, Eric couldn't find the guy. He got a few possibles, but nothing conclusive. It didn't help that a large group of people walked by Nell's car and obscured it for a few seconds. After they passed, the flower was there. It gave Eric a timeframe, but not a face.

Again, not very helpful.

His phone rang, and he answered without looking at the ID. "Yeah?"

"_Eric?_"

"Nell?" She sounded freaked out. If something had happened -

"_Eric...there's another flower on my porch._"

There is no unit of time short enough to measure how fast he grabbed his keys and bolted for the parking lot.

Kensi would have been proud of his driving; he got to Nell's place in half the time it should have taken him. As he pulled up he saw a flash of red hair and green sweater racing for the sidewalk, so he popped the lock on the passenger side door. Nell was inside in a flash, and barely five seconds after pulling up, Eric was peeling out.

"We're telling the others," he said firmly as he pulled into the Mission.

"No!" she said vehemently. "Please, I - I can handle this!"

Eric killed the engine and turned in his seat to face Nell. "You just bolted from your house like Bambi from the meadow. And you said, "Another flower." _Another, _Nell. How long has this been happening?" When she looked away, he almost stopped breathing. "Nell...how long?"

Nell swallowed. "Maybe...two weeks?"

"Two weeks?" he repeated, aghast. "He knows where you live, Nell! And you're only calling for me now? What were you thinking?"

"I thought he'd go away," she said in a small voice, hunching her shoulders. "I told him - "

"Wait, you talked to him?" Nell flinched at his tone, and Eric backed off slightly. "Nell, this is not a debate anymore. We're telling the team." He reached over and touched her arm gently. "Please. I don't think this can be resolved on its own. Let us help you, please."

Nell looked ready to argue, but then her eyes glanced down at the stalk of lavender she had clenched in her hand. When she looked back up at him, she looked scared, but determined. "Okay. Let's tell them."

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><p><strong>Bout time, Nell! Geez!<strong>

**Review please!**


	16. Mint

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Mint ~*~<strong>

Needless to say, the team was not impressed to be left out of the loop for so long. But nobody was expecting Hetty's reaction to the whole situtation. Once everything was explained, the tiny head of NCIS OSP ordered Nell to follow her out of Ops.

Nell was more than a little concerned for her well-being when Hetty led her down to the incinerator room and locked the door behind them. Fidgeting with her fingers, the redheaded analyst watched Hetty carefully. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

"Perhaps, with me," admitted the tiny head of their clandestine branch of NCIS. "Most definitely where your secret admirer is concerned." She looked at Nell with those intense eyes. "Am I to assume that you were willing to suffer alone and keep us from helping?"

"Hetty, it's more complicated than that," Nell said. "I got into this mess, so I wanted to solve it myself. I shouldn't have to rely on you or the others. I can take care of myself." Her voice rose defensively by the end of her sentence.

Her boss smiled gently at her. "My dear, I've never stated otherwise. You are a pillar of independence. But even pillars need something to help them stay upright." She put her hand on Nell's elbow. "Now, we're all in this. And we always take care of our own. Let them help you, Nell."

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><p>Hetty's words stuck with Nell the entire day. But it wasn't until she got home that Nell really understood how much she appreciated them.<p>

Since she'd arrived with Eric, it was only right that he dropped her off as well. When they pulled up to the curb in front of Nell's place, he put his car in park and leaned back in his chair. "I'll wait right here until you get inside," he said.

The gesture wasn't lost on Nell, who smiled at his chivalry. "Thanks Eric. See you tomorrow."

She was walking up her steps, searching through her purse for her keys, when her eyes spotted a bundle of blooms tied together with a white ribbon on her doorstep. She could smell the minty fragrance from them hanging heavy in the air. The card was bigger now, left open to reveal its message.

_You're being sneaky, Nell. Are you cheating on me?_

Nell swallowed hard and slowly backpedaled away from her front door, eyes never leaving the mint flowers. She reached behind her and grasped empty air until she found the passenger side door of Eric's car.

"Eric," she whispered as she got inside and slammed the door shut, "can I stay with you tonight?"

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><p><strong>First post of 2012~! Enjoy!<strong>

**Review please!**


	17. Balsamite

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Balsamite ~*~<strong>

"Stalkers suck," announced Kensi, angrily scoring her morning word search with a pink highlighter until it look like she was systematically torturing the paper. "Why must they be obsessive, insensitive jackasses who screw up perfectly normal people's lives with their idiotic obsession?"

Deeks gave her a weary look, already used to the tirade. After four days of nonstop investigation and surveillance, everyone was getting short tempers. To make matters worse, another bunch of flowers had been left on Nell's car. The card this time read, _I'll wait forever for you, Nell, but don't test me_.

The whole ordeal had visibly worn Nell down. She was paler than usual, worry lines had developed on her face, and she flinched at the slightest unexpected noises. Nobody liked seeing her so scared of the world.

Hetty suddenly appeared in the bullpen. "Mr. Deeks, Miss Blye, a moment if you please," she said, gesturing for the agent and detective pair to follow her. Rather than question, they dropped what they were doing and obeyed. She led them down to the incinerator, which was empty except for Callen and Sam.

Deeks had the grace to look a little worried when Hetty locked the door behind her. "Locked in a soundproof room with a highly-trained operative who can kill with a toothpick. Anyone else a little scared for his or her life?"

"Rest assured, Mr. Deeks, that you will leave this room alive and unscathed," replied Hetty. "The man who is harassing Miss Jones, however, will not be so lucky."

That's when the team knew that this scumbag was in deep shit. Hetty had big plans and a little soft spot for Nell, and this harassment was damaging the analyst. If there was one thing Hetty would not tolerate, it was someone who tried screwing with her people.

She continued, "I gathered you here because I have noticed something strange about the flowers. As noted, we have not been able to locate a vendor who has sold any of those blooms on the days in question. Perhaps we are looking for someone who has a private greenhouse, and as such, can procure his own flowers."

"Probably aren't many guys in LA with the yard space for a greenhouse," remarked Sam.

"And another thing," Hetty said. "Perhaps they are also their own message to Miss Jones."

Callen frowned. "What?"

"Flower language, Mister Callen." Hetty picked up one of the flowers that they had taken from Nell's house for evidence. "In Victorian times, feelings of passion were not made public. So lovers had to come up with ways to communicate with each other covertly."

Kensi frowned. "So...this guy's wooing Nell like it's 1835?"

"Apparently so, Miss Blye. So now remains the question - who is Miss Jones's mystery man?"

"He has to work here," said Sam. "That's the only way it explains how the flowers kept appearing in Ops."

Deeks picked up from there. "He has to know where Nell lives, so maybe a tech?"

"Or an agent," remarked Kensi, being objective despite the words coming out of her mouth. "He could have done surviellence."

Callen glanced around the Mission, noting the agents and analysts going about their business. "So, it's one of our own doing this."

"Sadly," said Hetty, "that appears to be the case."

"Question is," Sam said, "who?"

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><p><strong>Aww damn! It's about to get real!<strong>

**Review please!**


	18. Azalea

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Azalea ~*~<strong>

"You seriously need to clean this place up," Nell said, picking up the articles of clothing strewn across the floor with her thumb and forefinger. "Geez, Eric, don't you do laundry?"

He had the decency to look affronted and violated. "What gives you the right to blow through my apartment like a tidying twister?" he said.

"The right of a guest," she fired right back. "Remember? No going home for me until Hetty gives the all-clear? I'm practically living in that walking closet you call the guest bedroom, so I don't want to risk tripping over the dirty clothes you toss all over the place."

Eric twisted his lips in a pout that had Nell's heart melting. "Hey, I resent that. It's not like I do it on purpose, I'm just usually tired when I get back that I head straight to bed."

Nell grinned. "Wimp."

"Not wimpy, just a lover of sleep," corrected Eric. "You know what, give me those." Crossing the room, he took the clothes Nell had gathered. "Just leave it alone and go to bed."

"I'm not tired," she objected.

"You will soon enough," he replied. "Just go already. You've had a rough day."

She gave him a weak smile. "I've had a rough couple weeks, Eric. Don't sugar-coat it." But she let him nudge her towards the spare room. "Thanks, for letting me stay here."

Eric could see how depressed she was becoming. Dropping the clothes he held on the floor, he put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "We're going to get this solved, Nell."

Her green eyes looked up at him, their usual spark missing. "I know," she said. "It's just...how are we going to find someone if I couldn't even find him?"

He couldn't help the small grin. "Well, your exceptionally high IQ aside, you were alone before. Now you've got me." He waited just a beat too long to add, "And the team, and Hetty, of course. We're family, Nell." Pointing to the door like a parent ordering a child, Eric said very firmly, "Now off to bed with you, Miss Jones."

That got a little chuckle from his redheaded partner. "You suck at being Hetty."

"Me, try to imitate her? Rivers will burn purple fire first."

"Wake me up for work, okay?"

"Get to bed," Eric said, giving her a stare worthy of their tiny boss.

Nell laughed again, then obeyed his order. Eric waited until her door closed and the light flicked off before he picked up his clothes again and headed for the washing machine.

He'd been meaning to get some laundry done anyway.

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><p>Nell woke up in an unfamiliar bed and almost panicked. Then she remembered that she was at Eric's apartment, she was okay, and that it was far too late in the day for her to still be sleeping. Eric hadn't woken her up before leaving for NCIS OSP.<p>

_Eric, you idiot! I told you to wake me up! _she thought, scrambling out of bed and racing for the kitchen as she pulled on her clothes. Her mindset was to grab whatever coffee was left in the pot, snag a bagel, and bolt for work.

She drew up short, blinking in surprise. On the counter was a vase half-filled with water, and in this vase was a pair of azaleas. There was a piece of notepad paper tucked under the vase, so Nell edged closer to read what was written on it.

_Nell, _

_You've been going nonstop since last week.__ It's time you took a break. Hetty doesn't want you in the office today, so you're under house arrest. There's SmartOnes in the freezer, some fresh fruit in the fridge, and some somewhat unhealthy snack food in the cupboards. You know the drill - don't open the doors or windows, no calling out anywhere, and watch the computer use._

_Take care of yourself, okay? Be back tonight with some takeout._

_Eric_

_Oh, you dork, _she thought, sniffing the azaleas daintily. _How do you always know how to cheer me up?_

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><p><strong>The cutesy! THE CUTESY!<strong>

**Review please!**


	19. Camellia

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Camellia ~*~<strong>

She's beautiful.

That's what you think as you watch her. Eyes peering through the binoculars wedged against your glasses, you watch her patter through the apartment with a sort of grace one would normally associate with a caged panther. Even confined and out of your grasp, she's special. Unique. Beautiful.

You'd seen all types of women in your tenure as a member of NCIS, all over the world. Beautiful woman, tall and leggy and with curves sculpted by God, gifted in all the right places. But none of them were for you. Your mother had raised a well-bred gentleman, who wanted more than a rockin' body in a woman. No, you wanted a brain in your woman and a face that would make angels jealous.

But something about Nell is different. Nell is a different type of beauty. She's small and lithe and innocent, like a fairy that flits from blossom to blossom and dances among the dew-coated spiderwebs.

She entranced you from the start. Ever since that first day, when you first saw her in the briefing room handing out the classified case files and your eyes met, you'd known. You'd known she was special. And you were determined to have her as your own. Your mother would've been proud.

You'd started to woo her, covertly, hoping for a sign that she liked the flowers you hand-picked from your mother's prized flowerbeds. She'd taught you the art of flower-speech as a child, and you selected your blooms with care.

You'd meant to show up that night at Halstead's; you'd even had the perfect anemone blossom to wear in your buttonhole. But a surprise mission briefing kept you til the wee hours of the morning, and by the time you'd stumbled into the bar, she was gone. Four and a half months of courting her was washed down the drain, and your apology peonies were unceremoniously thrown out like common weeds.

Three futile weeks and twenty-one wasted peonies later, another mission was dropped in your lap, and you were only more than happy to go. It let you put things in perspective, to try and understand why she had suddenly turned so cold to your courting.

There could be only one reason why Nell was no longer responding to you. She had eyes for another. But who?

That answer was likewise a clear one. Eric Beale. It had to be. But you hoped you were wrong. Hoped that your beautiful fairy hadn't been wanton and flitted off to another flower in your absence.

So when you returned, you watched her. But when she went with Beale, she seemed to have forgotten all about you. _The fickle woman! How dare she!_ you seethed. You left the hydrangea to let her know that you returned.

But rather than return to you, Nell started to pull away again. And to make matters worse, her team was in on it as well. You knew they were the best, which only made you move even more carefully. As long as you couldn't be linked to the flowers, you were safe.

You lift the binoculars up again. She's sniffing those inferior flowers again. Common azaleas. His own gift would be far more elegant for such a fae beauty as she.

Clutching the pink camellia in your hand, you whisper to the trapped fairy, "Soon, dearest, we'll finally be together."

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><p><strong>OH SH*T SON! Stalker's POV ftw!<strong>

**Review please!**


	20. Azalea II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Azalea II ~*~<strong>

She thought she'd jump out of her skin when she heard Eric's key sliding into the lock. Jumping up from her perch on the couch, she headed for the door. "Welcome home," she said with a smile. "How was your day?"

"Long, but not altogether fruitless." He dropped his satchel just inside the door and made right for the couch. "We've narrowed the list of suspects down to a more manageable list, factoring that period between the peonies ending and the hydrangea showing up when stalking started again."

"That was about two months," Nell recalled. "So he was overseas on a mission?"

"Probably. That certainly explains the period of inactivity. I've got people checking in on the agents that had assignments during those dates."

Nell then saw how tired her partner looked. "You should sit down," she said, tugging his hand toward the couch. "I'll get us some drinks. Where's the takeout?"

"Of course you ask about the food. It's in my bag."

"You get the food, I'll grab plates and utensils." Leaving Eric to get settled, Nell went into the kitchen to gather plates and forks. She got two beers from the fridge as well, guessing that the booze was going to be needed sooner or later.

As she was turning to head back to the living room, her eyes alighted on the pair of azaleas still in the vase on the counter. "Hey, Eric?"

"Yeah?" he called.

"Why are there flowers in the kitchen?"

His voice rose an octave with anxiety. "Oh I'm sorry, it's - do you want them gone?" He appeared in the doorway with an expression of panicked apology on his face. "Oh man, I wasn't thinking, I'm sorry Nell."

"Don't apologize," she assured him with a smile. "I thought it was sweet. How did you know that they were my favorite flowers?"

Eric shrugged. "I have my ways. And they were out of red carnations, so - " Realizing what he had just said, he bit his lip and dropped his gaze to stare at the floor in fascination.

If she wanted to know the depth of his care for her, she had her answer. Nell's tender smile wobbled slightly, and before she could really talk herself out of it, she ran over to Eric and threw her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered.

He hesitated for a bare second, but then his arms moved to embrace her tightly. "You know I've always got your back, Nell," he murmured into her hair. "That's what partners do."

The moment arrived without either of them really being aware of it. Nell looked up at him, and for the briefest moment, she could see the adoration in his eyes. It did funny things to her stomach, making it flip and twist into pleasant knots. Eric felt his gaze drop to her lips, soft and full, and he was overcome with the urge to kiss her.

Then he leaned down, she stood up on her tiptoes, and the partners realized that they fit perfectly in yet another way.

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><p><strong>YAY! Kisses!<strong>

**Review please!**


	21. Snapdragon

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Snapdragon ~*~<strong>

"You look awfully happy, Mister Beale."

His sleepy grin only grew wider as his fingers stroked her touseled red hair. "So do you, Miss Jones," he replied. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"You know the answer to that," Nell said, snuggling closer.

The sound of the mail slot opening and mail being dropped made both techs groan. Locking eyes, they moved closer and shared another kiss. "I'll make some coffee," Eric said. "You get the mail?"

"Okay." Reluctantly they left the comfort of Eric's bed and straightened their wrinkled, slept-in clothes. Nell heard her cell phone vibrate by the couch and padded over to answer it. "Hello?"

"_Hello, dearest._"

Her spine stiffened at the familiar, unwelcome voice. "I thought I was very clear last time."

"_You were merely hurt that I wasn't at the pub,_" came her stalker's smooth reply. "_I've already apologized for that, Nell._"

"I meant last week, when I told you to _never call me again_!" she hissed softly so Eric wouldn't hear her in the kitchen.

"_Do you like my flowers?_"

"No, I don't," she said harshly.

"_And yet you continue to recieve them. You are truly a woman of paradoxes, Nell._"

What part of 'Stay the hell away from me' did not compute for you?" Silence echoed over the microphone, and Nell mentally slapped her forehead. Antagonizing a possibly unstable person was not in her best interest. Softening her tone, she added, "The flowers are nice, but what you're doing is considered harrassment. Could you just please leave me alone?"

Another beat of silence followed her words. Then he said, "_Perhaps I haven't been clear. We're soulmates, Nell. I've been searching for you my entire life. We're destined to be together._"

"No, we're not," she said firmly.

A note of barely repressed anger entered his voice. "_You only say that because Beale has managed to seduce you. Azaleas? I have given you far more beautiful blooms than those common flowers._"

Nell felt her blood run cold. _He knows I'm here_. "You leave Eric the hell alone," she all but snarled. "He's got nothing to do with this."

"_Oh, but he has **everything **to do with this,_" said her stalker decisively. "_He stole you from me, so he has to pay._"

"You touch him, and I'll make sure that the rest of your natural life is a living hell," Nell swore.

His chuckle was hollow, and his words were full of determination. "_All I want is you, Nell. All I want is to be together with you. And I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen._"

Nell immediately hung up, panic making her breath come quick and her heart speed up. Slowly she turned to look at the doormat where the mail was lying. The flower, a yellow snapdragon, lay on the floor where it had fallen after being pushed through the mail slot. _How dare you betray me! _was scrawled on the accompanying card in angry script.

"Eric!" she called, backing away from the flower like it was a Doberman ready to attack. "Eric, call the guys! He knows I'm here!"

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><p><strong>Oh noes, threats and promises! Not good!<strong>

**Review please!**


	22. Sweetpea

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Sweetpea ~*~<strong>

Needless to say, Hetty was not in the best of moods. A fact made amply clear when she corralled her team in Ops, cleared the room, and locked it down faster than a leaking nuclear reactor chamber.

Once again, Deeks spoke up worriedly. "Please tell me I'm not the only one having flashbacks to that moment in the principal's office when you realize you're in deep shit."

"You're not," Kensi assured him.

"Same," Callen admitted uncharacteristically.

Sam looked at his teammates in disbelief. "I knew I was the good one, but really?"

"You have not felt true childhood terror unless you've been given that frightening glare from behind a desk, knowing that you can't run for cover and that your parents are going to find out," Deeks said soberly. "Even you should have experienced this fear, Mr. Boy Scout."

"Believe me when I assure you that this stalker will feel a far more primal fear that what you are experiencing, Mr. Deeks," Hetty intoned. "He had made contact with Miss Jones again, and he has found out that she was hiding out at Eric's apartment."

"That's impossible," Callen said. "We made sure that nobody knew she was there. The only ones who knew are in this room."

"And the protection detail that tailed Eric's car last night," Sam added. "They've all been vetted, and they're clean."

Hetty paced the length of the center table. "Which means this is someone who had obtained knowledge of the operation and has comprimised our security measures."

"An agent," said Kensi as if spitting out a rotten mouthful.

"Or a tech," Deeks remarked. "They're a smart bunch of eggheads. Maybe one of them got into the mainframe and hacked it out."

Hetty nodded her agreement at both ideas. "The only way to know is if we do a full inventory. Check every login and see who accessed the information."

Callen spoke up. "We'll need Eric. He's the only one with that sort of clearance and experience, and he's the only one we can trust to do the job right." He pulled out his phone and stepped aside to call Eric.

"We can't leave Nell at his place alone," Sam said. "She's too exposed now that this guy knows where she was."

"We can stay there with her," Kensi said, gesturing to herself and Deeks, who nodded in agreement.

Callen's sudden exclaimation of "WHAT?" stopped all conversation. "When?" he asked, fighting to keep his voice level. "All right, stay put. We're on our way."

"Mister Callen?" Hetty asked, already fearing the worst.

When he faced them, they all knew what he was about to say. "The stalker broke into Eric's apartment. He knocked out Eric and when he came to, Nell was gone."

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><p>Eric held the bag of ice to the bruise on his face, feeling worse than useless. His eyes kept flitting to the sprig of sweetpea that was being put into an evidence bag, left on the table with the note from Nell's kidnapper. The taunting words were burned into his retinas: <em>I'm taking Nell with me. Good-bye<em>.

"Eric."

He looked back at Callen, not caring that he was being sullen and unhelpful. "She was right there, Callen," he said. "And he - he must've gotten me from behind, I never heard him enter the apartment. He got me and grabbed Nell, I hit the ground, and I saw him drag her out the front door." He gestured to the door that was busted open.

"It's okay, we'll find her," Callen said reassuringly. "We know it's someone close, so we need you to search the mainframe at Ops to find out who hacked the system."

Focused once more on the matter at hand, Eric nodded. "All right. Take me to Ops and I'll get started."

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	23. Primrose

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Primrose ~*~<strong>

"Wake up, my darling."

She doesn't stir. There wasn't that much chloroform in the rag, but she's been out for almost two hours. You bite your lip, starting to feel somewhat anxious.

Grabbing her had been hasty, and as your mother always said, haste makes waste. You had to move quickly to take out Beale, not to mention subdue Nell before you were discovered, and didn't realize that you'd left one of your handkerchiefs behind. A curse ripped through your lips once more. Sloppy, it had been sloppy. But you had your fairy now.

Nell makes a little noise. In a flash you're beside her, holding her hand gently. "Hey there, princess," you whisper. "Easy now. Don't - "

She jolts awake and tries to jump up. The ropes around her wrists and ankles keep her anchored, but her momentum makes the chair bounce forward and overbalance. You move quick to catch it before she falls flat on her face on the concrete floor.

"Easy, love," you murmure softly, smiling at her fire. "Don't struggle so much, you might hurt yourself."

Bright green eyes stare up into yours, burning with life. The fire flickers when she finally places your face to the voice on the phone. "Special Agent Ian Turner."

Your smile feels like it could jump off your face, you're so happy. "I knew it," you breathe. "I knew you'd remember when you saw me."

"Why are you doing this?" she asks softly, but firmly. She's strong, not a weak little thing like other women. A plucky little fairy, only fragile in looks.

"So we could be together," you say patiently. "We're meant to be together, Nell. That's what I've been trying to tell you."

Nell blinks once, twice, but her expression never changes. It's a sweet face, unblemished by harsh makeup that many other women wear. Your girl is pure-skinned and pure-hearted._ Won't Mother be proud?_

"Surely you understood my flowers," you press on. "Smart, cultured woman like you would have instantly recognized their message."

She nods slightly. "Yes, of course. Very thoughtful. And clever, keeping their true meanings a secret."

You nod. "Exactly!"

"And hurting Eric?"

You shake your head. "That was an unfortunate action, but you have to understand, Nell. I couldn't bear to pass another day without you." Shyness overcomes you, and you reach over for the modest bouquet of primroses that you'd painstakingly put together that morning.

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><p>Nell tried to keep a bland expression on her face as Turner continued to gush. Her eyes managed to flit around cautiously, marking the absence of windows and furniture, making the chair that she was tied to the only stick of furniture in the room.<p>

But what made her more uncomfortable than the restraints was the entire wall covered in photos in front of her. All photos of her. Cadid, secretly taken, all of her blissfully going about her day.

She swallowed nervously. _I can't break cover, _she told herself._ I can't show how much this scares me. It's an op, I'm undercover again, it's an op, I'm undercover again..._

Something whispered, _But last time you were undercover, you weren't alone. You had Eric in your ear_.

Nell closed her eyes for a brief moment. Unfortunately, Turner noticed. "Nell? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she said softly. "Just...I'm a little lightheaded. Is there some water I can drink?"

Turner quickly poured her a cup and raised it to her lips, but Nell's mind was racing. She had to buy the team some time to find her. Until then, she'd play along with Turner's fantasy.

She could only hope they'd move fast.

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	24. Poppy

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Poppy ~*~<strong>

"Dammit!" Eric cursed, throwing his earpiece down in frustration. "Damn, damn, damn!"

Standing in the doorway, Hetty paused. She'd never seen her easygoing Tech Operator lose his temper before, but then again, everyone had a breaking point. He obviously still blamed himself for not keeping Nell safe, even though it was not his fault. But even if she mentioned that, Hetty knew he wouldn't listen to her.

Quietly, she backed away and headed back down to the bullpen. Unlike Eric, the rest of the team was keeping their collective tempers in check. They would save their outbursts until Nell was found and safe again. Hetty walked among their desks and said, "Any updates?"

"Eric's still sweeping through the system," Callen reported. "We're going through personnel files to find somebody who could fit the bill."

"Too many people," Sam said. "We need more to narrow this down."

Deeks paused, his blue eyes lighting up as his brain worked. "Didn't Nell have a blind date with this guy?"

"Yeah, but he never showed," Kensi replied.

"Lucky for her," Called remarked.

The blond detective didn't get sidetracked. "It's a long shot, but maybe he didn't show because something work-related came up? A briefing or something?"

"When was that?" asked Hetty. Kensi rattled off the date. "Yes, I recall that one. We spoke for many hours, thoroughly debriefing each agent involved."

"What if," Deeks hypothesized, "he was one of those agents?"

Kensi frowned at her partner. "But he sent flowers for three weeks until they stopped."

"Overseas mission." This answer came from Callen. "One cropped up around then, a two-month op. It's a long shot."

"We've solved cases on longer ones," Sam said. "Let's find the lists of agents involved in each and see if anyone's names pops up on both."

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><p>Arranging poppies in a series of vases, Turner looked back at Nell. "I'm sorry about the chain," he said apologetically. "I can't be sure you won't flit off again, my dear fairy."<p>

Testing the weight of the chain and cuff around her ankle, Nell forced herself to give an understanding smile. "I get it. I - I made you sad, didn't I?"

"When you went off with Beale," he nodded. "I was so hurt. I thought you'd forgotten about me."

Carefully, she shrugged. "After being stood up, I was angry. I didn't want your flowers. But I never forgot about you," she lied.

Turner's smile grew even wider. "I knew you'd understand."

Taking a step forward, Nell felt the chain stop playing out its length. She had a six foot tether from the wall she was chained to. Not long enough to escape, but just enough to reach the chair at the table and a bed along the adjoining wall. "This place is...very nice," she remarked. "Is this your home?"

"No. My mother's," he replied. "Do you like it?"

"The light is quite lovely. And the flowers are beautiful," Nell continued. "Are they grown here?"

"My mother loved flowers. She taught me flower language from childhood." Snipping a few blooms carefully, he pushed them into piles on the dining table. "She also taught me how to care for them."

"You must love your mother very much," Nell remarked.

The change was almost too fast to react to. The carefully arranged flowers were swept off the table with an angry yell. The vases crashed into thousands of pieces, coating the floor with water and crystal shards. Nell jumped back to avoid being cut, huddling as far back as she could on the bed. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she cried.

Turner's entire demeanor had drastically cooled. "I'll bring you some food in a while. Stay quiet." Leaving the mess on the floor, he left the room and locked the door.

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	25. Ivy

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Ivy ~*~<strong>

"Stupid, selfish, son of a - !"

Hetty materialized just before Eric could complete his shout, forcing the Tech Operator to swallow his words. His fingers viciously struck the keyboard's keys to channel his anger as he swept through the NCIS database. "Hetty," he said tersely.

She acknowledged the borderline polite greeting. "Mr. Beale, I understand your anger at the moment, but you've been working for over sixteen hours without a break."

"He's got my partner. I'm not stopping until I find this sick son-of-a-bitch and get her back."

"Be that as it may, you are running on fumes," Hetty stated. "If you burn out, you will be useless to everyone. You need rest."

Eric scrubbed his face with his palms, trying to re-energize himself. "I can do this, Hetty."

"I believe you Eric, but I'm now giving you an order. Make this thing go on automatic, go down to the couch in the bullpen, and close your eyes for at least ten minutes." The look in her eyes left no room for argument. "Computers exist to make time for ourselves, don't they?"

He couldn't argue that line of reasoning. His eyes were ready to glue themselves together from exhaustion. With a jaw-cracking yawn, Eric pulled himself off his chair and stumbled downstairs for the couch. His eyes were shut before his head hit the pillow; he was asleep before his body could register the impact.

That's where the team found him three hours later, in the exact same position he'd flopped down in. Kensi shook her head and moved to cover him with a blanket, but Deeks held her back. "If he's as worried as I think he is, he'll wake up when you touch him," he said. "Let him be."

The three agents and detective headed up to their boss's office. "Any luck?" asked Hetty as she trimmed her climbing ivy vines.

Sam held up a sheaf of papers. "I've got a couple possibles."

"So do I," Callen added, showing his own handful of paper. "And I've got a match between them. Special Agent Ian Turner."

Hetty put down her shears. "Wake him," she said, pointing to Eric. "He needs to pull Agent Turner's life apart, yesterday."

* * *

><p>Nell stretched as far as her iron tether would allow, fingers wriggling to grab a sizeable shard of glass just beyond her reach. She would've liked to snag one of the knives, but Turner had put no silverware near her side of the table. Delusional he was, but stupid he was not.<p>

She knew her time was limited. For all she knew, Turner had put up cameras in the room to monitor her. While she hadn't seen any in the visible places, Nell knew too much about covert surviellance to assume that there weren't a few lenses pointed to her.

The shard was almost at her fingertips. Just another few centimeters...

"What are you doing, my dearest?"

She thought fast and put a smile on her lips. "Cleaning up. I didn't want to leave such a mess," she lied, sitting up on her knees. "But I can't reach all the glass."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "I have to leave for a while. Don't kick up a fuss." As quietly as he'd arrived, he left. Turner seemed to have calmed down from before, and Nell was determined to keep him that way. At least until she could use it to her advantage.

Her genius IQ was working at lightspeed to figure out a plan. The pilfered shard rested on her lap, hidden under her shirt hem. She had two hairpins in her hair, her sterling silver posts had been left in her ears, and a good feeling that, contrary to her fears, Turner had no surveillance cameras set up in her prison.

_I've done more with less. I just need to hang on a little longer_. She closed her eyes briefly. _Just until the cavalry arrives..._

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	26. Camomile

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Camomile ~*~<strong>

With a name in hand and the world literally at his fingertips, Eric made quick work of ferreting every last bit of information about NCIS Special Agent Ian Turner. Exceptional service record, notations of bravery and intelligence in the field. Awarded twice for going above and beyond the call of duty. Single, no kids, no next of kin aside from some cousins in Oklahoma.

"This guy looks perfect on paper," said Kensi.

"In our business, they rarely are such in person, Miss Blye," Hetty said wisely. "Look around you. Prime examples, including yourself, of how misleading a paper report is."

Callen crossed his arms. "What's his life been like these last couple years?"

Documents appeared on the large screen. "His mother died a year ago," Eric reported. "She was the only immediate family he had left. Since then his performance has been on a slight decline. Temper issues, mostly. That last mission briefing, he was antsy and demanded to be let go early."

"To go meet Nell," Deeks guessed.

"Tell me you got an address," Sam said.

Eric brought up an address in Santa Monica. Callen gave the order to move out, and before he left, he rested a hand on Eric's shoulder. "Don't worry," he assured the blond man. "We'll get her back. I promise."

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><p>When Turner returned, he saw Nell "sleeping" on her bed. "Wake up, my little fairy," he cooed as he entered. "Rise and shine." He handed her a cup of camomile tea. "I'm sorry for scaring you earlier, love."<p>

She sat up, playing innocent as she sleepily rubbed her eyes and tugged her fingers through her snarled red hair. "That's all right. What time is it?"

"Nearly dinnertime, love."

This told Nell two things. She'd been taken almost six hours ago, and she was entering crunch time. Darkness would provide perfect cover for the team to get in unnoticed, but if they hadn't found her yet, chances were that Turner was covering his tracks far better than expected. They'd need some help. Luckily, the analyst had an idea.

_Time to see if my plan will work,_ she though. Faking a sip of tea, she sat up straight and shrieked, "Oh no!"

As predicted, Turner immediately turned to see what was wrong. "Nell? What happened, what's the matter?"

_Here goes nothing._ "I didn't call Nate last night. He's expecting a call from me. Crap." She bit her finger nervously. "I have to call him. He gets so worried when I miss a call. I bet he's freaking out now."

Turner regarded her closely, as if judging the validity of her story. "Nate?" he repeated.

"Yeah, you know, Nate Getz? He's, like, my best friend." Being extremely careful about her choice of words, Nell said, "He's really the only person who understands me as well as you." She squeezed out a few tears for effect. "I don't often get a chance to talk to him, what with his covert assignments and all, and I was really hoping to talk to him before his flight tonight..."

As expected, her captor only heard the last bit of the sentance. "He's leaving tonight?"

"Yeah, his flight should take off in about twenty minutes," Nell said, hiding her hope. "I don't want him to worry about me."

It was five agonizing minutes before Turner, still looking reluctant, pulled out a cell phone and handed it to her. "You reassure him that you're fine, say your goodbyes, and that's it," he warned.

Remembering his explosion earlier, Nell could decipher the unspoken threat. Hands shaking despite her plan, she carefully dialed the number that would hopefully bring the might of NCIS down on this man.

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	27. Iris

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Iris ~*~<strong>

Seeing a blocked phone number show up on his caller ID didn't bother Nate as much as it would anyone else. In his line of work, they were usually Hetty or someone of equally high covert standing bringing news of reassignment. So he flipped open the phone and answered, "Dr. Getz."

"_Nate! Good, I caught you_."

"Nell?" he clarified, puzzled. "Did you hack into Hetty's files for my phone number again? I told you to stop doing that, the spooks are getting tired of changing my number when you break protocol like this."

"_Sorry, but I forgot to call you last night like I promised. I wanted to talk to you before I ran out of_ _time_._ Got a minute?_"

That caught his attention. One, Nell never promised anything of the sort. Two, she said "before I run out of time" which was odd of her. And three, she asked for a minute. She never had to ask him that; she was the closest he had to a kid sister, and Nate never denied her a second of his time.

"Sure Nell. How's it going?"

She didn't speak for a second, and Nate could hear someone murmuring in the background. Male, somewhat agitated, and definitely not one of the team. The call was on speaker. Now paying close attention, the psychologist tried to absorb as much information as possible while clicking his digital recorder on.

"_Well, I'm doing all right actually_," Nell said. "_Nothing much new to report, but I'm staying with someone for a while_."

"Oh really? Who?"

"_A friend_," was her reply, and it was far too carefully said to be her actual words. "_He's letting me stay with him while my place is renovated. Some mold had set into the walls, it smelled like the dank basement of an old-style home_."

"That's nice of him," Nate replied, trying to figure out how to phrase a question without tipping off the male listener. "Do I know this gentleman?"

"_Doubt it. Don't think you and he would get along much_." A hint of a chuckle touched her voice. "_Psychologists and he had a touchy relationship, I guess_."

He understood that to mean that her "gentleman" had some anger issues; he'd used that turn-of-phrase himself once or twice. _Smart girl's giving me hints_, he thought. "Well, thanks for the call Nell. I thought you'd forgotten about me."

"_Never!_" she said, scandalized. "_I caught you, what, ten or twenty minutes before your flight? Traffic wasn't that bad from your place, was it?_"

"Sort of a bitch, but can't complain."

The other man hissed something, and Nell quickly spoke again. "_Well, I'll let you go now, Nate. Talk to you soon._"

"Hey, Nell?" Nate waited until she heard her breathing before saying, "You sound tired, girl. Stop whatever you're doing and get some fresh air."

She chuckled. "_Okay Nate, I'll do that. There's a band playing at Patrick's this afternoon, maybe I'll hike a few blocks to see them_."

"You do that."

"_Bye, Nate._"

"Take care, Nell." When the connection was broken Nate turned off the recorder and slipped it into his pocket. He grabbed his wallet and keys as he hurriedly dialed another number. "It's Nate. Listen, I just got a coded call from Nell, you guys need to hear it. I think she was telling me where she is..."

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><p><strong>Round One - Special Agent: 0. Genius Analyst: 1.<strong>

**Review please!**


	28. Marigold

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Marigold ~*~<strong>

Nell handed the phone back to Turner with a smile. "Thank you. I knew he'd be grateful that I called before he left."

Turner had a suspicious look in his eye, but with another smile from her, it disappeared - for the moment. "I'd do anything for you Nell, you know that," he said, reaching for her hand. "You have only to ask."

Other girls would've asked to leave, but Nell had seen too many cases that had used that alternative and failed. She had a bad feeling that he would have another unpredictable mood swing. So she said instead, "Can I...can I have more flowers? I'd like to try and arrange them into something nice."

Once more, that puppy-dog look of joy crossed her captor's face. "Of course! Let me go get more!" With a happy laugh he took off, leaving Nell to pull out her hairpins and place her hidden shard of glass to her advantage.

Nate would go straight to Ops. No question there. Hopefully Eric could decipher her code fast enough to figure out where she was.

_C'mon Eric, find me_, she thought silently. _I know you'll find me_.

Twenty minutes later, Nell bit her lip as her hairpin bent out of shape again, forcing her to fix it before trying to pick her shackle again. She kept her ears trained for any sound of Turner's return. Her trusty shard of glass lay next to her, ready to defend herself if need be. _Almost got it, _she thought. _Just need a few...more...minutes.._.

But she didn't get those needed minutes. In his wish to surprise her, Turner had snuck back into the house and crept down to the basement as quietly as he'd been trained to do. This meant he opened the door and saw Nell trying to escape before she could hide the evidence. The armful of golden blooms dropped from his arms as his screech made Nell instinctively reach for her glass shard.

"YOU LYING, DECIETFUL BITCH! I'LL KILL YOU!"

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><p><strong>Rewind 15 minutes, at Ops...<strong>

"The house in Santa Monica's empty," Callen groused as the team entered Ops. "His landlord said Turner moved out months ago. Left no forwarding address."

Nobody responded to this statement. The four agents were mildly surprised to see Nate in Ops as well, but focused on the voice recording that now played on the big screen. "What's this?" asked Deeks.

"Miss Jones managed to call Nate," Hetty replied. "He recorded it and brought it here once he was appraised of the situation."

"There!" said Nate as he leaned against the center console. "Enhance that." Eric obeyed. "That's the guy's voice."

Eric quickly compared the voiceprint to the one they had on file for Turner. The graphs lined up green. "It's him. That's Turner."

"At least she's all right," Kensi breathed in relief.

"Keep playing it, Eric," Callen said. Nell's voice rang out through the speakers, clear and obviously alive, which bolstered their spirits. As they listened to her words, slowly a picture began to emerge. A dank basement of an old-style house. Ten or twenty minutes from someplace, depending on traffic. Patrick's. A few blocks.

"That clever girl," Sam said proudly. "She told us where she to find her, right under Turner's nose."

"That's my girl," Eric murmured with a smile. "There's only a few places she could be that Turner has a connection to, and I'll find it." His fingers went to work again. He muttered beneath his breath as the map of Los Angeles shrank, narrowing down likely places where Nell could be. "He wouldn't take her to a safehouse, he knows that's where we'd look. And Nell said old-style house...maybe...wait..." Typing in an address, Eric smiled for the first time in hours. "Got it! His mother's old home in Beverly Hills! It's a couple blocks from Patrick Street and it's almost twenty minutes from my place. That's where he's got her!"

Hetty turned to her agents. "Get well-armed. If Turner is any sort of good agent, he will be well-provisioned to take on an assault team. You won't be able to talk your way into the house; he knows all your faces."

Callen nodded. "We'll wait for nightfall, then take the house. Kensi, Deeks, sit on it til we get there. Sam and I will bring the weaponry."

"Got it," Kensi said, leading the way out of Ops.

Callen looked to Eric. "Keep our lines open and coordinate with LAPD, but tell them it's our op."

Eric nodded. "Go get her."

"Don't worry, we'll get her back safe," he promised. "Turner won't know what hit him."

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><p><strong>CLIFFHANGER! To be continued...<strong>

**Review please!**


	29. Rose

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Rose ~*~<strong>

Turner knew he only had minutes, maybe less, before Callen and his team found the house. Again he cursed himself for being blinded by love to not notice Nell giving covert hints to Nate in her phone call. It was an amateur mistake, sloppy of him, and now he was paying the price for his idiocy.

He glanced at Nell, lying unconscious on her bed, and bit his lip. He hadn't meant to hit her so hard, but when she'd brandished the piece of glass at him, he lost all reason. He hated the look of fear in her eyes, and he just wanted it to go away...so he'd hit her over the head with the butt of his gun. It had to be done.

Taking another breath, he put another white rose next to her body, adding to the dozen-odd blooms already arranged around her. "I really thought she was the one, Mother," he whispered. "I thought...I thought she was the one. I'm sorry for being duped." His eyes hardened as he watched Nell. "You were right, Mother. Witches can masquerade as fairies, and sometimes you can't tell until it's too late." He palmed the box of matches he pulled from his pocket. "You had the right idea with Father, but don't worry. I won't make the same mistake you did."

And he picked up the can.

* * *

><p>Hetty stood just behind Eric as he continued his searches. "What does Turner's personell file say about his family life?"<p>

"His father died when he was seven. House fire," he reported. "Says here that his mother was arrested for setting it. She thought he was cheating on her, so she trailed him to the florist shop they both owned and torched it."

"_Extreme reaction_," remarked Callen from the car. "_How much time?_"

"None," Hetty responded, scanning the screen for herself. "She claimed self-defense for the history of abuse. She was granted custody of Ian provided she took anti-psychotic medications."

Deeks piped up. "_Growing up in a dysfunctional setting like that, no wonder he's not entirely there. That'd mess anyone up._"

"_Where's the mother now?_" Callen asked.

Eric looked again. "Died two years ago." He frowned, puzzlement in his eyes and in his voice. "She died in a fire too."

"_At the house?_"

"In her own bed."

Now Sam spoke up. "_Was Turner suspected?_"

"No."

"But it's unlikely that he did it," Nate said. "Being raised by a single mother undoubtedly made him very protective of women in general. Especially after the betrayal his father inflicted by cheating on his mother."

Silence for a beat. Then Callen said, "_Eric, you said that Nell started getting scared when she spent more time with you._"

Eric understood what he meant the same time everyone else did. "He figured out she was calling Nate for help. If he thinks she's leaving him - "

"Get over there now!" Hetty almost shouted.

"_Sam__, step on it!_"

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><p>Nell woke up with a bump on the back of her head, a splitting headache pounding her temples, and a weird smell making her nose wrinkle. She sat up slowly, rubbing the back of her head gingerly as she fought to blink her eyes into focus.<p>

She remembered getting caught trying to pick her shackles. Checking her wrists, she found them still securely fastened to the wall by the chains.

She remembered Turner coming towards her with a gun. Hastily she checked herself for a bullet wound, but found none.

But her clothes were curiously wet...and there were almost three dozen white roses laid out around her on the bed.

It was like she was lying on a pedestal...or in a coffin.

The smell was instantly identified. _Gasoline_. A look around showed that the entire floor was drenched in it, and the trail continued out the wide-open door

_Oh dear god, he's going to set this place on fire!_

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><p><strong>Dun dun DUUUUUUN! Run, team, run!<strong>

**Review please!**


	30. Rose II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Rose II ~*~<strong>

Darkness was just about complete when Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks pulled up in front of Turner's childhood home. They stayed in the car, killed the headlights, and took in the surrounding area. The house was on a slight hill, giving it unobstructed views of the street and in all directions. Minimal cover made it almost impossible to sneak closer.

"Turner picked his last stand well," Sam said. "He can see us heading up from every direction."

"We have to be careful when we go in. He could use Nell as a human shield," Callen said. "Kensi and Deeks, try to find the back way in. Sam and I will see if we can go in another way."

The partners slipped out into the darkness, stepping lightly and carefully as they strained their eyes to catch any change in the inky night. They couldn't even risk flashlights or nightvision goggles; going up against one of their own, it wasn't clear what types of defenses they'd run into.

Kensi and Deeks knelt silently by the back door, Deeks holding a penlight as Kensi pulled out her lockpick kit and started to pick her way inside. "You smell something?" she whispered.

"Gasoline," Deeks confirmed.

"Watch where you shoot."

"Duh." Raising his wrist, Deeks informed Callen and Sam over comms of the gas smell. "They're getting into position by a bay window. You almost in yet?"

A click of the lock answered him. Stowing her kit, Kensi gently opened the door just far enough for Deeks to shine his penlight around for tripwires or booby-traps. When none were spotted, they cautiously made their way farther inside. Each step was double-checked to make sure that they wouldn't trip an alarm.

"The decor is suitably creepy," Deeks said. When Kensi looked over, she saw what he meant. Vase after vase lined the tables and bureaus, each filled with a dozen black roses. It was like they'd walked into a gothic parlor.

Sam and Callen met them in the living room, where more black roses sat in bunches. "I'm severely creeped out here," Callen stated, eyeing the flowers uncomfortably. "Where do you think she is?"

"Upstairs or the basement," said Sam. "Somewhere secure. Isolated."

"I like the basement," Deeks remarked. "Neighbors can see the second floor easier."

Kensi felt her sixth sense ringing alarm bells in the base of her brain. The smell of gasoline notwithstanding, something about this whole place rang out TRAP. In big, bold, Billy-Mayes-captial letters. Like a low noise that refused to be silenced.

Then she realized that she was actually hearing something, too low to be distinguishable but too loud to be a ringing in her ears.

"Wait," she whispered. "You hear that?"

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><p><strong>I'm back, everyone! With a cliffhanger!<strong>

**Review please!**


	31. Rose III

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Rose III ~*~<strong>

Nell screamed as loud as she could, but she couldn't hear any response. _There's probably another door at the top of the staircase keeping my voice muffled,_ she reasoned. _If only I could get my cuffs off, I could... _She tugged at them angrily, then paused for a second as a crazy idea hit her brain. _Wait...well, if something from a book worked for Deeks, maybe something from a movie can work for me_.

Taking the hem of her gasoline-soaked shirt, Nell positioned it over the coff on her right wrist and squeezed. Liquid dripped from the fabric and streamed right between the cuff and her skin. Grasping the cuff with her left hand, she made her right hand form the smallest cone shape she could and pulled.

It wasn't easy. The gasoline acted as a good lubricant, but her restraints were still quite tight. The cuff's edges scraped her skin with every millimeter she managed to pull free. But she did make some slow progress, helped as she twisted her hand slightly to free more increments.

When it finally popped free, she was panting and her knuckles were bleeding, but her hand was free. She flexed it to be sure, then began wringing out her shirt over her left cuff to repeat the process.

She could hear footsteps stealthily moving around upstairs. _Must be the team_, she thought. Filling her lungs with air she yelled, "Callen! Sam! Kensi! Deeks! You guys, can you hear me?"

Something crackled to life across the wall from her. For one instant, Nell feared that it was an ignition source. But when a small flatscreen television flared to life on the wall directly opposite her spot on the bed, she didn't dare let herself breathe easy. Something was about to happen.

Turner's face appeared on the screen. He looked serene, well-dressed and clean-shaved. He'd even slicked back his unruly hair. Nestled in his arms like a sleeping baby was a large bouquet of roses. Red and white roses.

"_Good evening, Nell dear,_" he said. "_Are you comfortable?_"

"As can be expected when I'm chained to the wall," she replied, hiding her free wrist behind the cuff to trick him into thinking both hands were still bound. "Why did you douse this whole place in gasoline?"

"_Because it is necessary, my dear_." He smiled at her gently. "_I thought you were my fairy, but I was wrong. Witches are tricky, after all._"

"I'm not a witch."

But Turner was on a roll. "_Mother taught me many things. The most important one was that witches must burn._" He shuffled his arms around the bouquet. "_When Father was tempted away by a witch, Mother tried to burn the witch and free him. She didn't know he'd be in the shop as well. It broke her heart that he died._"

Nell felt a dark, sickening cold uncoil in her stomach. She swallowed the fear that was fighting its way up her throat. "What are you going to do, Ian?"

"_I've loved you for too long to lose you, Nell. I can't lose you, not even to save myself._" He raised one hand to reveal a small metallic object. "_So I'm joining you in death so that we can always be together._"

"Ian, don't do this!" Nell begged. "Please. This isn't the way!"

He opened his mouth to reply - and then Nell heard another sound through the speakers. "_Ian Turner! NCIS! Drop the lighter!_"

_They found me! _"Callen! Sam!" she shouted. "I'm in the - "

"_You can't have __her, gentlemen,_" Turner said, striking the lighter. "_She's mine._"

"_Turner, no!_" she heard Sam yell just before the room went up in flames.

Nell heard the flames raging above her, then heard the WHOOSH as they followed the trail of gasoline down the steps, to the first floor. To the basement steps.

To her.

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><p><strong>You all hate me by now, don't you? ;)<strong>

**Review please!**


	32. Poppy II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Poppy II ~*~<strong>

The fire spread fast, blazing along the trail of gasoline left by Turner. Deeks gave a warning shout as it raced down the staircase, pushing Kensi aside and shielding her with his body. "What happened?" he shouted.

"_Turner blew himself up!_" Callen replied.

"What about Nell?" asked Kensi.

"_Nell's in the house somewhere. Visual and audio confirmation. We have to find her!_"

Kensi twisted around, surveying the burning living room behind her partner. "Where could she be?" she yelled over the noise. "We can't search the whole house, we don't have enough time!"

"Callen and Sam have the upstairs," Deeks shouted. "We know she's not on the ground floor. Look for a basement door!"

The fire raged around them as they searched. Turner's black rose bouquets burned like torches, while his flame-covered drapes looked like Satan's curtains. Smoke filled the hot air, forcing Kensi and Deeks to cover their noses and mouths with the crook of their elbows. Soot coated every inch of bare skin it could find.

Callen and Sam appeared just as Kensi and Deeks found the door to the basement. "No sign upstairs," Sam said. "Fire rescue and EMTs are en route."

"That just leaves the basement," Deeks said, pointing at the door. Together they descended the staircase, skirting the trail of flames that led them straight to the locked door seperating them from Nell.

"Nell, we're coming! Hang on!" Callen called out as Sam and Deeks started throwing themselves against the door. Kensi grabbed a nearby metal rod and tried prying the hinges off. The smoke grew thicker, choking the air and making visibility diminish with each passing second. "Nell!"

No response.

Callen hammered on the door again. "Nell, can you hear me?"

Nothing.

"Nell!"

Sam rammed into the door once more, and it flew off its hinges into the flame-engulfed room. Nell was lying prostrate on the floor, unconscious in a ring of fire. "Get her out of here now!" Sam yelled.

"She's chained to the wall!" Deeks shouted as he and Kensi quickly moved to get the Intelligence Analyst.

Callen drew his weapon and aimed for the length of chain attached to Nell's cuffed wrist. One shot later, and there was a foot-long length of chain dragging from her cuff. "Let's go!" he yelled.

Deeks scooped Nell's unconscious form in his arms. Kensi tore off her jacket and used it as a blanket to cover the smaller woman's face from the smoke and flames. With Sam clearing the way and Callen bringing up the rear, the four agents managed to escape the flaming deathtrap of Turner's house, running straight into the arms of the firefighters out front.

"We got Nell, Eric!" Callen said over the comms as the team was herded towards the ambulance. "We've got Nell! She's all right!"

"_Get her checked out immediately,_" said Hetty, her voice thick with relief. "_Then you bring her home._"

"Understood."

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><p><strong>Review please!<strong>


	33. Daisy

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Daisy ~*~<strong>

When Nell opened her eyes again, she knew she was in a hospital. She knew by the white ceilings, the hardness of her cot, and the breathing tube that piped oxygen into her nose. The memory of the fire came back to her, how she quickly moved off the gasoline-soaked bed before it caught aflame, how her wrist wouldn't slip through the last cuff, how the air itself was thick as soup, choking her and making her lose consciousness...

_But the team found me_, she reminded herself. _I'm safe and alive, because they found me_.

"Good, you're up."

"Nate?" she whispered, turning her head to see the psychologist leaning in the doorway of her room. With him was a doctor in a white coat, who walked over to look at her medical chart. "What're you doing here?"

Nate smiled at her. "Making sure you're mentally ready for visitors." The doctor cleared his throat. "If the doctor gives his okay as well," he added.

"Well Miss Jones, you're remarkably lucky," said doctor reported, whose nametag identified him as Dr. Hillard. "You have minor burns over a quarter of your body, mostly on your arms and legs. Your fingers have blisters that will take a little longer to heal, and the cuff around your left wrist rubbed the skin raw. You'll be sore and stiff for a week or so and your wrist will need treatment, but you should be able to leave here in about three days, maybe two if you're lucky."

Nell blinked. After all the gasoline she'd seen and smelled, she'd been expecting her injuries to be much worse than that. "So...can I have visitors?" she asked both men. "Please?"

"I see no reason why not," said Doctor Hillard, looking at Nate. "Just make sure she's not too excited."

"Understood," Nate said. He stepped aside to let the other man leave, then came over to take hold of Nell's uninjured right hand. "So Red, you ready for company?"

She grinned weakly. "Lemme change into something more comfortable and put out the canapes," she joked. Before he left to get them, she squeezed his fingers. "Thanks Nate."

Knowing her as well as he did, he didn't need elaboration. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Always, Red." He handed the bed remote to her and left to get the others.

Nell was able to make her bed raise her to sit up, fix her hospital gown to sit right, and finger-comb her hair into relative order before Hetty arrived, leading her team in behind her like a pack of worried puppies. They crowded around her bed, careful to speak softly and not overly excite her. Nell loved that they were so caring, but what she really wanted was to know Turner's fate.

Thankfully, Callen was the first one to see her discomfort and to treat her like a grown-up. "By the time Fire rescue got the blaze under control, Turner was a charbroiled corpse. He's gone, Nell." He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's over."

"Thank God." Hetty reached up and patted Nell's hand. "Now you focus on recovering, Miss Jones. I expect you to be back at work in no less than a week, understand?"

"Yes, Hetty," Nell said, smiling faintly.

One by one the team left, promising to visit soon. Callen squeezed her hand in farewell. Sam leaned over to gently ruffle her hair. Kensi gave her a light hug. Deeks flashed a smile and promised to sneak in some quality junk food. Pretty soon, only Nate remained.

Nell tried to keep the disappointment off her face, but in the face of a trained psychologist, she might as well've tattooed "Where's Eric?" across her forehead in neon.

Nate smiled. "He's at Ops, going over the data and evidence recovered from Turner's house. He hasn't slept since you were taken. Once he's finished making _triply _sure that you're safe, he said he'd come visit you. Until then..." He pulled something out from behind his back. "Here. From Eric."

Nell reached out to take the single daisy from him. Hanging off it was a small tag that read, in Eric's cute handwriting (not that she'd ever admit it to his face) were two simple words.

_Love you_.

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><p>After checking, re-checking, and re-re-checking everything about this hellish experience, Eric slumped back in his chair. Rubbing his tired eyes, he stretched until his back cracked with a satisfying pop.<p>

"Thank god this is over," he mumbled.

Then his computer beeped. Swearing under his breath, he accessed the computer again. What he saw made him swear once again.

All of Ian Turner's files - his NCIS personnel file, his DMV picture, all his known aliases - had been recently altered. New image files, stretching far back to the beginning of his career. They all matched the face of the Ian Turner who'd burned in the house where Nell had been kept.

Except one. A lone picture, taken almost six years ago for a short stint with the State Department, showing a different face with the same name. Not the man that had burned to death and now rested in the Los Angeles morgue. Not even close.

More bad news came at the next beep his computer gave. Turner's face had been pinged somewhere else. An alias that had been inactive for years. A face he'd forgotten to alter.

Dr. George Hillard.

Who worked at the hospital where Nell was recovering.

Checking his watch, Eric shut down his computers and bolted for his car.

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><p><strong>Because yes, there must be that ONE cliffhanger that even I hadn't expected! Curse you, plot bunnies! *shakes fist*<strong>

**Review please!**


	34. Aster II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Aster II ~*~<strong>

Nell woke up later with a gut feeling that something wasn't right. For one, the door to her room was shut. For another, her daisies were gone. Not to mention it was pitch-black in the room. Only a window-square of moonlight illuminated the tiled floor -

And the tips of a pair of men's shoes.

Sitting up in bed, she could hear someone breathing in the darkest corner where the shoetips stood. She hated the cheesy horror-movie impulse she couldn't squash to call out "Hello?"

"Hello, Nell."

Ice flooded Nell's lungs and veins. Her eyes went wide in horrified shock. "Turner?" she whispered, unable to believe it.

The figure stepped forward into the moonlight. Dr. Hillard. "Feeling better?" he asked in Turner's voice. "Those burns looked painful."

"B-But that's not possible," she stammered. "Y-You died, I saw you..." Then she saw the flap hanging off the side of his face and her brain put it together. "Latex mask."

"I know a guy who does fantastic work." He reached up and pulled it off, shredding the mask of Dr. Hillard and revealing Ian Turner's true face. "Made my accomplice wear one too," he said, casting the ruined mess aside. "It really threw your friends for a loop."

"The real Dr. Hillard?"

"He was more than willing to pretend to be me for that final performance."

Nell stiffened. "Did you tell him he'd die in your place?" The cold smile he gave her was answer enough. She shivered. "So you planned that whole thing. The house burning, the gasoline, the explosion."

"I knew the EMTs would bring you here. Closest hospital to the house. I only had to assume Dr. Hillard's face and identity and wait."

"But how did you manage to make the identity switch?"

Turner gave her a grin like a shark smelling blood. "Easy. Just replaced my information with his on all of my identities."

"You killed your accomplice to make people think you were dead," she said slowly. "The autopsy won't show that it's Hillard until morning at the latest."

The sheer helplessness of her situation made her voice sound world-weary. "Who'd think to protect me from a dead man?"

He held out a familiar flower - an aster. "I told you that we'd meet soon, didn't I?"

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><p><strong>Hopefully this answers all the WTF? reviews people were sending. I recently watched Mission: Impossible and that's the only way to explain why Turner's still alive.<strong>

**Review please!**


	35. Daisy II

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Daisy II ~*~<strong>

Keeping her focus in rapidly changing situations was what made Nell an excellent analyst. She could work amidst distractions with the same intensity of a high-powered laser. It was an invaluable skill that had never failed her.

So even handcuffed to a wheelchair, pushed by a delusional NCIS covert agent towards an uncertain and undoubtedly perilous fate, Nell kept her eyes and ears peeled for any and all ways out of this predicament.

Turner's cover was apparently deep enough to fool the night staff. Nobody stopped them as he wheeled Nell down the hallway. A few nurses even said goodnight to "Dr. Hillard" and his patient. Turner headed for the bank of elevators with the cool authority of a man in control.

That controlled aura fractured when the elevator opened to reveal one Eric Beale, holding a small bouquet of daisies and looking just like any other late-night after-hours visitor to the hospital. His haggard face lit up when he saw Nell. "Hey there, rockstar," he said with a huge smile. "Feeling better?"

"Loads," she replied, flashing a smile just as big. "You do know you're late, right? Everyone saw me earlier." _You know I'm handcuffed, right? _she indicated with a flick of her eyes.

"Sorry. Got tied up with stuff." His wink was a subtle and quick affirmative. "Hey Doc, how's our girl?" he asked Turner.

"She's recovering nicely, so I'm having her moved to another room." There was a tightness in Turner's voice, barely detectable but still there, that betrayed how much this turn of events irritated him. He started to steer around Eric. "You can visit her tomorrow during visiting hours."

"Oh, what room?" Eric asked, stepping in front of the wheelchair. "I'll walk with you."

"That won't be necessary."

"Is it nearby? What room?" With each word Eric took a stealthy step forward, bringing him closer to Nell. His plan wasn't clear to Nell, but the only logical conclusion was that he was going to rush Turner. Panic flooded her body; Turner was vastly stronger and more experienced than Eric. He'd demolish the tech.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, sir," Turner said firmly. "Miss Jones is very tired and would like to rest, I'm sure."

Eric grinned. "Okay Doc, you're the boss." He bent down to Nell's eye level. "Hey Nell, you're not feeling queasy or dizzy, are you?"

"No. Why?"

The grin was still there when he shouted, "NOW, CALLEN!" and threw his daisies into Turner's face. Grabbing the arms of Nell's wheelchair, he hauled her away from Turner as he backtracked into the still-open elevator he'd come from. Nell heard the voices of Callen, Sam, Kensi and Deeks shouting "FREEZE!" behind her before Eric slapped the door close button, putting several inches of steel doors between them and Turner.

Nell was unable to keep the tears from escaping her eyes. "Get these off me!" she begged, yanking her handcuffed hands like a madwoman. "Eric, get them off!"

He produced a key and quickly unlocked them. Then his arms were full of sobbing redhead when Nell launched herself out of the chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Is it over?" she asked. "Is it really over?"

"It's over, Nell," he whispered, hugging her tightly. "Shh. It's all over. He won't ever hurt you ever again."

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><p><strong>YAY! Saved the Nell!<strong>

**Review please! I think we're almost done!**


	36. Tulip

**Summery: A series of drabbles, tied together in their own sweet little ways, set after "Greed" and focusing around what should be known as the precursor to all things Nelric - the FLOWERS! **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Warning: SEROIUS FLUFF ALERT. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.**

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><p><strong>~*~ Tulip ~*~<strong>

Nell could hardly believe it. Turner was in custody, and she could go home. At long last, her nightmare was over.

Back again in her hospital bed, she sat up with Eric and smiled as she listened to Callen tell how the team came to save the day. Again.

"...So when Eric called us up, we made the coronor rush the autopsy on the guy who fried in Turner's house," Callen said. "Turns out that it was the real Dr. Hillard, and melted on his face were bits of latex from a mask. He fooled us all into thinking he was Turner."

"We knew Turner would try to grab you, so we all quickly made a plan and waited for Eric to distract Turner so he could save you and we could arrest the bad guy," Deeks finished triumphantly.

"My heroes," she said, looking at the three agents and detective. "Thanks, you guys. I don't know how to thank you."

"Just rest, Miss Jones," Hetty said, patting her hand gently. "You'll be released in a matter of hours. Thank us by taking the time to recover from his ordeal." Turning on Eric, she said, "You will take Miss Nell home, of course."

"Of course, Hetty," he agreed. "My place is cleaned up, so she can stay there for a while. I mean," he backtracked, looking over at Nell, "if that's okay with you."

Nell nodded. "I'd like that, actually."

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><p>Eric's apartment was much cleaner than it had been the last time she was there. He kind of ruined the moment by explaining that the clean-up crew was responsible for it; he'd barely been home since Nell had been taken.<p>

The moment was saved, however, by what Eric called her housewarming gift.

"Wh-What's all this?" Nell asked, overwhelmed by the display.

Looking very awkward and shy, Eric pushed the three vases closer to Nell. "I - I figured you'd like some color."

She stared at the bouquets in shock. "Some color?" she repeated. "That's gotta be almost three dozen flowers."

Three vases, each sporting a different bouquet of beautiful flowers. The leftmost vase held a dozen wine-red carnations, making her recall that first flower Eric had left for her after that disastrous blind date. The center one held a dozen azaleas, bringing to mind their first kiss in that very room. And the rightmost vase held -

Nell's hands rose to cover her mouth as tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Eric..."

"I know you've got a recent slew of bad memories involving roses, so I knew they wouldn't be accepted. So I went with the next best thing." He smiled shyly. "Besides, they mean almost the same thing, right?"

A dozen red tulips. The near-universal symbol for undying love.

She looked at Eric with a trembling smile. "You're such a romantic dork, you know that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I know. But you love me anyway, right?"

"Awful sure of yourself, huh?"

Eric made a "duh!" gesture. "Hey, I did protect you from a psychotic stalker in my own home."

"For which you got a kiss as reward," Nell replied.

"Yeah, and a snuggle."

"I thought that was a fair trade."

"And then I saved you from said stalker. In quite a daring rescue, I might add."

"You pulled my wheelchair into an elevator. Hardly heroic."

"Still." He grinned. "What kind of reward does that entail?"

Nell smiled back. "If you're very good...maybe another kiss."

The grin twisted into a wry grimace. "You're such a tease."

"Yeah, I know." She rose on her tiptoes and whispered, "But you love me anyway, right?"

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><p><strong>Aaaaaaand we're DONE! Thanks for sticking with me through this!<strong>

**Review please!**


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